Rocket projectile



Dec- 18, i951 G. J. KE-ssENlc'H ROCKET PROJECTILE Filed Feb. 14., 1944me/who@ EPEHDLL Kes5eru' ch @fw cmdfmmw Patented Dec. 18, 1951 GregoryJ.

ROCKET PRQJECTILE Kessenich, Madison, Wis., assigner of one-sixth toPauline C. Kessenich, one-sixth t William H. Kessenich, one-sixth toRose Mary C. Kessenich, one-sixth to Thomas G. Kessenich, and one-sixthto Christopher J. Kessenich, the shares of Thomas G. Kessenich andChristopher J. Kessenich, minors, to he held in trust for their benefitby the co-owners Application February 14, 1944, Serial No. 522,293

(Cl. B-49) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to` a projectile for a rearm and particularly toa rocket projectile capable of carrying a large charge of explosive,which may be transported and fired by one man.

Modern warfare has demonstrated the need for a weapon of greatdestructive properties which may nevertheless be transported andoperated by an individual soldier. This is particularly true ofinfantrymen who are opposed by tanks or other armored vehicles orvwhomust reduce fortied positions without supporting artillery. To destroysuch vehicles or positions requires a substantial quantity of explosivecharge which generally requires a projectile of at least several inchesin diameter. To re a projectile of such size, of course, requires anartillery piece of a size much in excess of that transportable by anindividual soldier. the individual soldier had to depend upon handthrown grenades or other types of bombs which, of course, required thathe be so close to the enemy target as to render his position veryprecarious.

Rie grenades have heretofore been used with effectiveness but whetherprojected by gases from a blank cartridge or by-passed gases from a liveround their range is not great especially where the grenade is of someWeight. Further, maximum range has only been obtained by high anglerin'g and as a consequence of the inherent inaccuracy the rie grenadewas not suited for ring at high speed targets. Attempts to increase theweight of the riiie grenade have resulted in decreased range, ballisticinaccuracy and in causing damage and breakage of the ries.

With a view to obviating these disadvantages it is proposed in thisinvention to provide an improved projectile having great destructiveproperties which may be launched as a rocket from a projector capable ofbeing transported and fired by an individual soldier. The projectile maybe initially launched as a rocket or it may receive initial impulsion bya mechanical source or by the gases passing thru the bore of a rearm,the initial impulsion means being utilized to ignite the rocket charge.A low trajectory projectile is thus obtained which will present morefavorable angles of impact and which will permit eye-aiming of ashoulder piece at a rapidly moving target.

The specic nature of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein there is showna rocket projectile in longitudinal section embodying this invention.

In the drawing there is shown a projectile embodying this invention. Theprojectile comprises a hollow cylindrical body I on the rear end ofwhich is secured a plurality of projecting ns 2 which serve to stabilizethe projectile in flight. The forward end of body I is threadablysecured to a second hollow cylindrical lbody 20. The rear end of body isprovided with an integral partition 2I which has an integral raised bossI8 centrally provided thereon. Parts I and 20 when united as shown. forma body portion or casing. An impact fuse 3 of any Well known type isaxially mounted in a suitable recess 23 in the boss I8. A disk 4 ofsuitable heat insulating material is placed adjacent the rear side ofpartition 2I and is held in such position by body I when such body isthreaded into the second cylindrical body 20 Hence prior to thisinvention as shown in the accompanying drawing.

A rocket propulsion charge 5 is mounted within 20 the interior of thehollow body portion I. While such charge may comprise any one of variouswell known arrangements of powder charges, it is here shown ascomprising a compacted mass of powder grains pressed into the hollowbody portion, preferably around a long corneal arbor (not shown) so asto deiine a central conical recess 6 extending into charge 5. The gasesdeveloped by ignition of powder charge 5 exhaust thru a nozzle 'Iprovided on the extreme rear end of body I. Nozzle 1 is preferably ofconventional Venturi construction and effectively produces a gas blast,the reaction force of which acts as a propellant force for theprojectile.

Powder grains 5 are ignited by an ignition charge Il of black powder.The ignition charge 8 is contained within a cup 9 mounted in the oriceof nozzle l. The powder 8 is retained within cup 9 by a thin disk I0 ofcombustible material cemented to the top of such cup. Ignition of charge8 is effected by a conventional small arms primer II. The cup 9 isiitted` into nozzle l in such manner that the gas pressure developedafter ignition of propellant charge 5 will forcibly eject cup 9 fromnozzle l.

An ogival nose I3 is mounted on the forward end of body I. The nose I3is preferably formed from thin sheet metal so that it will readilycollapse upon impact with the target. The forward chamber in body 20defined between partition 2l and ogive I3 is arranged to receive anexplosive charge constructed similar to that disclosed in British PatentNo. 28,030 of 1911 which has a cavity in its front face and a liner ofrigid material tting the cavity and retaining the explosive charge. Suchan arrangement comprises an explosive charge I4 packed into the forward3 chamber behind a partition or liner IS extending between the walls ofbody 20 and formed as a reentrant surface having its central portionrearwardly disposed with respect toits edges. In accordance with theteaching of the aforementioned British patent thepartition I5 ispreferably conically shaped but may be spherical,4

prismatic, or cylindrical. The main requirement is that a cavity I6 beproduced in the front of explosive charge Il, the reentrant surface ofthe explosive receiving and tt'ing the reentrant surface of the liner ISas shown in the drawing.

The explosive charge I4 is arranged to be detonated by the fuse 3 whichmay be one of several well known types of impact fuses and need not befurther described. A primer I1 is' mounted in such fuse and is arrangedto be' set of! by the inertia forces arising out of the impact of theprojectile on the target. Prefereably the fuse 3 will be adjusted tooperate at or before the instant when the ogive I3 has collapsed back toa point where it is flush with the end of body 20. Under this conditionthere is still a substantial c avity IB-in front of explosive 'charge I4and accordingly the great explosive effect produced by the arrangementof the above cited British patent will be obtained.

This improved projectile may be launched'in any o! a number of wellknown rocket launchers of a type shown in a book entitled Ammunitionpublished by the British Government in 1870. The launcher may be ahollow tube open at both lends plus some conventional form of firing-mecnusually iiat trajectory may be obtained at the relatively slowvelocity of the projectile. Hence the aiming of the projector by eye isquite feasible and the rocket projectile may be accurately directed atmany targets.

I claim-z 1. In a projectile for a shoulder-med rocket projector. asmooth, generally cylindrical rocket casing having its rear portiontapering to a rear- Wardly-directed nozzle and a forward reducedexternally threaded neck, a cylindrical explosive container having itsrear end wall internally threaded to engage the threads of said neck tounite said casings into a continuous smoothwalled cylindricalprojectile, a transverse wall integral with said explosive containerimmediately forwardly of the internal threads thereof. a thin-walledhollow ogival nose section attached to and closing the forward end ofsaid explosive container, said nose having a conical re-entrant portionextending into said explosive container and forming therewithl a closedchamber, an explosive chargefllling said chamber, a disc oiAheat-insulating material having its rim clamped between said Wall andthe threaded neck" of said rocket casing, and an impact fuze having anenlarged head clamped between said wall and disc and a reduced bodyportion extending through an aperture in said wall into' vsaid explosivecharge.

2. In an aerial missile, a rocket, airfpil means on the rocket tocontrol it in iln--stabilzed flight, an explosive charge carried at thefront of the rocket, said charge having a cavity in its forward end andoperable on impact, and a liner of rigid material fitting in the'cavityoi' the explosive charge.

3. In an aerial missile, a rocket, airfoil means on the rocket tocontrol it in fin-stabilized night,

now Patent No. 2,494,562. Furthermore the entire apparatus, bothlauncher and projector, are light enough to be carried by one man. Atthe same time the great explosive effect produced on the target by thistype of projectile is equivalent to that produced by artillery ofsubstantial caliber.

The' combination of the arrangement of the explosive charge disclosed inthe above cited patent with a rocket type projectile is particularlyadvantageous since the particular arrangement of the explosive chargedoes not require penetration of the target for maximum eiectiveness andfurther because the low velocity of impact of the rocket type projectilecoupled with the collapsing of the ogive I3 insures that the projectilewill remain in contact with the target long enough to accomplish thefull igintion of the explosive charge I4.' Furthermore, due .to thegeneration of propulsion force during night, an

an explosive charge carried by said rocket forwardly thereof, saidexplosive charge having a forwardly-divergent recess opening through theforward end thereof, a liner of rigid material iitting said recess, anogival nose forwardly oi the linerand spaced therefrom and a fuzecarried by said rocket in detonating relation with said explosivecharge.

' GREGORY J. KESSENICH.

REFERENCES cr'rED

